A pair of New York artist/designers, Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs, have transformed the last surviving Ellis Island ferry (built in 1907) into their houseboat home -- complete with plantings inside tires on the dock, and a chicken coop aboard -- and it's a historic beauty. From the Inhabitat.com story:
In keeping with the spirit of recycling and preservation, the couple have integrated the ship's most characteristic features into their everyday lives. The passenger deck serves as a beautiful dining room and the helm makes a cozy office space.
The Yankee Ferry, built in 1907, was used in World War I, then embarked on its career taking immigrants from incoming ships to Ellis Island. It's registered as a historic vessel on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nerd Girl photos: Kendall Ronzano, the Santa Cruz 16-year-old who's building a tiny house on a trailer with a charitable goal, sends photos of her project (and herself). Ronzano's website is called NerdGirlHomes.
Prefab homes: Forbes.com takes a look at prefab-home manufacturer Blu Homes, including an overview of prefab history:
So-called modern prefab had become a staple of home-design magazines during the housing boom. But the economics of mass-producing green homes like Priuses didn't work. For one thing, building houses narrow enough to fit on a truck while still wide enough to live in is no mean engineering feat. Then there was all that custom work. "The options package just grew and grew, and economies of scale were never reached," says Allison Arieff, former editor-in-chief of Dwell, who wrote the book on prefab in 2002 (Prefab, Gibbs Smith). "The homes ended up being all one-offs." When overall housing demand tanked, some prefab firms shut their doors.
With Blu Homes, headquartered in Waltham, Mass., (Bill) Haney and (Maura) McCarthy are building a different model. Their solution: steel and software. Using recycled-steel frames with large hinges, Blu homes fold up to fit on a standard tractor-trailer that handles cargo up to 8.5 feet wide.
They use software to automate processes, and -- most interesting, I think -- they cut out the subcontractors.
"You have to control the manufacturing, design, shipping and the finishing," says McCarthy, 31. "The guys who pack up the thing in the factory have to be the same guys who set it up on-site."
Blu is planning to open a San Francisco-area factory this year. The current line runs from the sizable Breezehouse, starting at $495,000, down to the Origin, which starts at $95,000 for an 18-by-24-foot home (432 square feet).
Haney, by the way, also is a documentary filmmaker.
Read the rest of the Blu Homes story here.
Water tank home: A Colombian artist, Miler Lagos, turned a water tank into a tiny floating house that he launched into Smithtown Bay, off Long Island, NY. As you might guess, it's also an art project.
Lagos said when he first saw a water tank on top of a building in New York City, he knew he wanted to transform it.
"The idea is to rebirth the function of the tank," Lagos said. "In Colombia there are some towns with houses of this shape ... when I saw the water tank in the city it reminded me of my town."
Lagos is videotaping the water tank for an art piece that will be featured . . . in an exhibit at the Magnan Metz, a gallery in Chelsea, Manhattan.
2011年8月29日星期一
2011年5月4日星期三
‘Chicken Whisperer’ weighs in on backyard poultry issue
Backyard poultry has a lot of advantages, according to the Chicken Whisperer. Andy Schneider holds workshops to educate people that are interested in having chickens in their backyards as pets or for their eggs. He says there’s a surprising number of towns in the United States that allow backyard chickens.
“About 85 percent of the towns that approach changing the laws to allow backyard poultry do end up changing those laws, with some of the laws a little more strict than others.”
The Normal Town Council is drafting a proposed ordinance that would allow backyard chickens after a resident asked if he could have a chicken coop outside his house. Schneider says he hasn’t seen any data that suggests residential poultry devalues a house.
“Show me just one case, anywhere in America, where someone got $10,000 less for their house because their neighbor had chickens or the town they were trying to sell their house in allowed backyard poultry. It doesn’t exist, so it’s a moot point when people try to bring that up.”
If people are concerned about what to do with a backyard chicken after it dies, Schneider says to fear not.
“Some people may bury it, some people may compost it, and some may put it in the garbage just like you did with that rotisserie chicken you didn’t finish from the grocery store last night!”
Listen to R.C. and Jim’s interview with the Chicken Whisperer below.
“About 85 percent of the towns that approach changing the laws to allow backyard poultry do end up changing those laws, with some of the laws a little more strict than others.”
The Normal Town Council is drafting a proposed ordinance that would allow backyard chickens after a resident asked if he could have a chicken coop outside his house. Schneider says he hasn’t seen any data that suggests residential poultry devalues a house.
“Show me just one case, anywhere in America, where someone got $10,000 less for their house because their neighbor had chickens or the town they were trying to sell their house in allowed backyard poultry. It doesn’t exist, so it’s a moot point when people try to bring that up.”
If people are concerned about what to do with a backyard chicken after it dies, Schneider says to fear not.
“Some people may bury it, some people may compost it, and some may put it in the garbage just like you did with that rotisserie chicken you didn’t finish from the grocery store last night!”
Listen to R.C. and Jim’s interview with the Chicken Whisperer below.
2011年4月23日星期六
Debbie Cavallaro talks about the baby boom down on the farm
Q: When can we see the baby animals?
A:We try to start having our babies at the end of February and go all the way through at least May and into June. We try to split them up because they do grow fast and that way, no matter what time folks come out, they get to see babies. They're right in the barn or right at the fence, and they're very friendly. They actually like visitors.
Q: Where did the animals come from?
A:Many were born here. We get some really good donations from local people. We try to show good examples of the breed, so most are thoroughbred. Some we raise up, some we will purchase. We have a donation box in our barn, and we generally use donated funds if we need to buy an animal. And then many of our animals get sold to 4-H kids or local farmers. That's always very gratifying for us to go to the local fairs and see how our goats and sheep and pigs are competing. We're close to the Livingston County Fair, the Oakland County Fair and the Washtenaw Fair.
Q: Who takes care of the animals?
A:We have three full-time staff and we have five part-time staff -- people that do a variety of things. I feed animals every day. I clean pens every day. The herdsmen check who is ready to deliver, who didn't come up to the feeder to eat, a lame horse, whatever it may be. We have a lot of kids programs. We just got done with our big maple sugaring program. We do horse-drawn rides, and that takes a special team called teamsters and they harness horses. No day is the same, I can tell you that.
Q: How many animals do you have?
A:We're looking at all the cows, all the sheep, all the chickens, goats, the ducks, the geese: We probably have 75 to 85. It certainly increases in the spring, especially with all the twins coming. This time of year we have a lot. Usually in November, that's when we sell a lot of our extras off.
Q: How many buildings do you have at the farm that people can go into?
A:We have five buildings you can actually go in. Certainly our biggest attraction is our lower barn area. That's the maternity ward where all the babies are. And then you can go into our chicken coop and cow pen. It's set up where it is close viewing pretty much for everybody, and it is all wheelchair- and stroller-accessible -- very easy to maneuver.
A:We try to start having our babies at the end of February and go all the way through at least May and into June. We try to split them up because they do grow fast and that way, no matter what time folks come out, they get to see babies. They're right in the barn or right at the fence, and they're very friendly. They actually like visitors.
Q: Where did the animals come from?
A:Many were born here. We get some really good donations from local people. We try to show good examples of the breed, so most are thoroughbred. Some we raise up, some we will purchase. We have a donation box in our barn, and we generally use donated funds if we need to buy an animal. And then many of our animals get sold to 4-H kids or local farmers. That's always very gratifying for us to go to the local fairs and see how our goats and sheep and pigs are competing. We're close to the Livingston County Fair, the Oakland County Fair and the Washtenaw Fair.
Q: Who takes care of the animals?
A:We have three full-time staff and we have five part-time staff -- people that do a variety of things. I feed animals every day. I clean pens every day. The herdsmen check who is ready to deliver, who didn't come up to the feeder to eat, a lame horse, whatever it may be. We have a lot of kids programs. We just got done with our big maple sugaring program. We do horse-drawn rides, and that takes a special team called teamsters and they harness horses. No day is the same, I can tell you that.
Q: How many animals do you have?
A:We're looking at all the cows, all the sheep, all the chickens, goats, the ducks, the geese: We probably have 75 to 85. It certainly increases in the spring, especially with all the twins coming. This time of year we have a lot. Usually in November, that's when we sell a lot of our extras off.
Q: How many buildings do you have at the farm that people can go into?
A:We have five buildings you can actually go in. Certainly our biggest attraction is our lower barn area. That's the maternity ward where all the babies are. And then you can go into our chicken coop and cow pen. It's set up where it is close viewing pretty much for everybody, and it is all wheelchair- and stroller-accessible -- very easy to maneuver.
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